A basket full of ripe peaches only cost more than a dozen yuan. They were washed and cut into small pieces with a knife. They were thrown into a hand-cranked stone mill. Xu Xian turned them hard and green-white juice flowed out.

Strain the silkworms through a fine basket and put them into a clay pot. Add cold boiled water, icing sugar and a little bit of salt and stir evenly. Pour them into the mold one by one. A piece of rolled light wax paper is placed in each hole to ensure

The juice will not leak.

Xu Xian placed the mold on a low wooden hanger and fixed it firmly. There were already two sets of molds there, with milky white and transparent liquid inside.

There was a large wooden basin in the center of the room, which was already half full of well water. Xu Xian picked up a large cloth bag placed on the wall and poured the contents into the basin. Then the water in the basin rolled and exploded from time to time.

The sound came out, and when the water surface calmed down, white ice patterns spread rapidly on the water surface at a speed visible to the naked eye.

Xiaocan seemed to have seen a ghost and stammered: "It's frozen! Brother...it's frozen!"

"I know, help me quickly put this wooden shelf in."

The two people carried the wooden frame and placed it in the water. The position of the mold was neither high nor low, three inches above the water, but not higher than the edge of the basin. They put a custom-made lid on the basin, and Xu Xian took all the bedding at home.

He came out and wrapped the tub tightly, praying in his heart that his hard work would not be in vain.

Yes, Xu Xian really planned to sell popsicles. As for why he didn't do something bigger, it was not only because he had no capital, but also because he had no strength.

Now he is just a weakling. Not to mention those warlords and bureaucrats, any household in Liuhe Bay is capable of killing people and seizing property and evading legal prosecution. He knew this when he bought saltpeter.

No one sells saltpeter in the market. I just bought it in a drug store. Before I left the drug store, I was stopped by the police. It turned out that the shopkeeper sold him. He said that so much saltpeter could be used to make medicine and kill hundreds of people. He must have died.

It was used to make leather, so the policemen had to go to his house to search for the stolen goods.

But when Xu Xian said that his family was in Liuhe Bay, the guard immediately put on a smile and said it was a misunderstanding, and released Xu Xian without even verifying it. The shopkeeper also came up to apologize and sold the saltpeter at half price.

he.

In Xu Xian's opinion, there is no difference between the military dependents in Liuhewan and the aunts who danced in the square in later generations. Even though they have all kinds of bad things, they still have good intentions. Although the naughty children in Liuhewan are messed up, they rarely go to the market.

If you cause trouble, you will be thrown into the army as soon as you grow up.

Of course, what makes people fearful are the men in their families who are in the military. These soldiers usually behave like law-abiding people, but once they encounter war, they turn into cannibals. The common people always remember the painful experience.

profound.

The leather was an important military asset, and even an inch of it was enough to kill someone, but the police officers who were suspected of capital crimes could easily let it go. If one day they were killed and buried by some greedy soldier around, they probably wouldn't have the guts to pursue it.

Do some small business to allow yourself and Xiaocan to settle down in this troubled world, accumulate some capital and connections, and it will not be too late to show off your talents when the world is more peaceful. Counting on the fingers, this day is not far away, and there is no need to wait until Zhao Guan's family arrives in Chenqiao

Yi wears a yellow robe.

It was late May, and although the ambush had not yet set in, it was already extremely hot. The low house was like a furnace, and it was so sweltering that it made people breathless.

Aunt Liu sat by the bed and fanned her little son who was taking a nap, but she was sweating profusely. She always felt like she was holding a fire in her stomach. She drank a bowl of water, and in the blink of an eye, sweat oozed out and became sticky.

Too greasy.

Just as he was about to get up and get a basin of cold water to wash himself, he heard someone knocking on the door, "Is Aunt Liu at home?"

It was Xiaocan's voice. The poor girl probably didn't have anything to eat at home. I thought the fool from the Xu family had changed his temper, but who knew it would be better not to change his temper? He actually mortgaged the house to start a business. How can business be so bad these days?

It's easy to do, even if you make money, I'm afraid you won't be able to pay the interest. If the house is taken away, give him two ounces of money to redeem Xiaocan, and stay at home to be the mother-in-law of the eldest son in the army.

Aunt Liu kicked away the big yellow dog lying next to the courtyard door with its tongue hanging out and panting. She pulled the latch and opened the dilapidated courtyard door. Sure enough, she saw Xiaocan standing outside the door. To her surprise, Xu Xian was also there.

Zhang's dull face was now filled with a bright smile.

The sun was rising in the west. They had lived next to each other for twenty years with the Xu family. The father and son had never visited each other on their own initiative. Aunt Liu was filled with wonder, "Xiaocan...oh, Brother Xu is here too. Is this true?"

What's the matter?"

Xu Xian cupped his hands and said, "Of course I do. I was indebted to Aunt Liu for helping me when Xiao Ke fell ill some time ago. I'm here to express my gratitude today."

"What should I expect? I didn't thank you at your house that day."

"Coming to thank you shows your sincerity. I heard that Aunt Liu also lost a pair of hemp shoes, so Xiaoke specially bought a pair and sent them to her. I asked Aunt Liu to accept them!"

On the day of the corpse fraud, it was Aunt Liu who stuffed her torn hemp shoes into Xu Xian's mouth. It was so full of taste that Xu Xian felt nauseated just thinking about it.

Xiaocan took out a pair of hemp shoes from the cloth bag and held them in front of Aunt Liu, "I picked these at the market. Aunt Liu, try them on and see if they still fit?"

Aunt Liu happily took it and said, "The one Xiaocan picked will definitely fit your feet. I didn't realize that Brother Xu is a thin-haired person. Come to the yard!"

It was very hot and stuffy in the house, so Aunt Liu placed a low table and a few futons under the big locust tree in the courtyard, filled a black pottery bowl with cold white cabbage for the two of them to drink.

Xu Xian originally wanted to take the opportunity to make friends with Aunt Liu, but he didn't know that there was no chance to talk. Aunt Liu kept nagging her, and the content was nothing more than that Xiaocan was a good girl and asked Xu Xian not to treat Xiaocan harshly in the future.

It was really unfair. Xu Xian had never treated Xiaocan harshly. Even the former depression patient had never beaten or scolded Xiaocan, but he just didn't have the ability to take care of her.

"Xiaocan is a good girl. The winter before last year, my second son ran around and fell into the ice hole of the pond. Thanks to Xiaocan, he went there and fished him out. It was the twelfth month of winter, and his little face turned pale with cold.

, his lips were trembling... If I knew what bastard thing smashed a hole in the ice, it would break his dog legs..."

Xu Xian didn't know that there was such a thing. There really is no such thing as love and hate in this world. No wonder Aunt Liu took such good care of Xiaocan. When Xiaocan was reselling the Xu family's supplies, she also helped her expand a lot of customers.

"Mom! Mom!" Erzhu rubbed his eyes and ran out of the room with his butt naked, "Mom, I'm hot, please give me a fan!"

"There are guests at home, and I don't know how to wear a bellyband!" Aunt Liu took her little son over and wiped his sweat with the wet towel in her hand, but she didn't mean to put a bellyband on him.

"They are all neighbors, and I have seen Erzhu's butt a lot. By the way, I was so busy talking that I forgot to take out my things."

Xu Xian opened the small wooden box he carried with him and took out a popsicle from it. White smoke was rising under the scorching sun. He tore off the outer layer of wax paper and handed it to Erzhu's mouth.

Erzhu opened his mouth and bit it subconsciously, and his eyes widened in a flash, "Mom! This is ice!" He took a sip and said, "Ah, it's so sweet!"

Aunt Liu stretched out her hand and touched it, and then said in surprise: "Oh my God, it's really an ice pimple. Where did you get it in this summer? Maybe you have an ice cellar at home."

"Aunt Liu was joking. I'm afraid the ice cellar is only available in the palace. This is a small craft passed down from our ancestors. I made some food and asked Aunt Liu to give it a try. It's a small token of my gratitude."

Xu Xian said and handed another one over. Aunt Liu took it and chewed it as if eating. She swallowed the ice shards directly into her stomach and exhaled, "It's so satisfying! It tastes delicious too."

"

"Aunt Liu, please eat slowly. Don't hurt your stomach and teeth."

"What the heck, when I was a girl, I used to eat ice from the eaves in winter, but this is the first time I eat ice in summer, haha... Why is this different from the second boy's!

"

Xiaocan explained: "Aunt Liu, yours is peach flavored with peach juice in it. Erzhuji's is creamy with goat's milk in it. It's naturally different."

"No wonder it tastes like peach when I eat it!" Aunt Liu finished the popsicle in her hand, "Xiaosi, give me another creamy one to try!"

Xu Xian made a cup of tea at Liu's house and then stood up to say goodbye. Aunt Liu sent the two of them outside the door, asking them to sit a little longer.

But Xu Xian didn't dare. The woman ate four or five popsicles as soon as she had a big fart. After sitting there for an afternoon, there was nothing left. Even if Xu Xian gave up the popsicles, he was afraid that she would ruin her stomach. With her

With a loud mouth, the deal was completely ruined.

After leaving Liu's house, Xu Xian and Xiaocan knocked on the door of another house. A shirtless young man opened the door for them. But when he saw Xu Xian, he scolded him, "How dare you come to my house, you idiot?"

Come on, let’s see if I don’t deal with you!” As he said that, he took the broomstick and whipped it towards Xu Xian.

Xu Xian caught it casually and said with a smile: "Brother Jiubao, this is not the way to treat guests. I am here specifically to visit Zhang Dutou today."

"My dad doesn't recognize you, so get out of here!" Jiubao was very disdainful of Xu Xian, but he had a different attitude toward Xiaocan, "Come in, Xiaocan, I've stewed fat rice at home today.

There is some meat left, I will give it to you to eat."

Unexpectedly, Jiubao, the middle-aged boy, is still a warm boy in front of girls. If he can change his slutty temperament, he might be a good candidate.

"Thank you, Brother Jiubao. My brother and I are here to see Zhang Dutou today. Is he at home?"

A deep voice sounded from inside the house, "Jiubao, who is that outside? You are a guest when you come, why don't you invite people to the house?"

"Dad, wake up!" Jiubao responded, then clenched his fists and threatened Xu Xian loudly, "Remember to keep your voice down, don't disturb my grandma's sleep, Xiaocan, I will take you to the kitchen to eat meat."

Xu Xian ignored him and walked straight to the door, bowing to the inside of the room, "Xiao Ke came to the door presumptuously, and I hope you will forgive me for disturbing your sweet dream."

"But after lying down for a while, I get old and sleep too much during the day and I can't sleep at night. Come in, I don't have such big rules here. I'm no longer a loser. I'm just a useless person."

Xu Xian opened the door curtain and entered the room. A man in his forties or fifties was sitting on a low couch. He only wore a pair of calf-nose trousers and an empty trouser leg. His naked upper body was covered with large and small scars. Although his appearance was ordinary,

, but the murderous aura in his eyes could not be concealed. It was tempered in the mountains of corpses and the sea of ​​blood, and even the years could not corrode it.

He raised his eyes and looked at Xu Xian without saying a word. Xu Xian also looked back quietly. After a long time, he suddenly laughed and said, "Haha... Well, he is more promising than your father. There is no one who walks around in the Palace of Hell."

It’s just different.”

"Thanks to that day, I was so bold that I tried Xiao Ke's breathing and pulse to make everyone stop. Otherwise, I would have been whipped to the Palace of Hell by a peach branch. I'm here today to express my gratitude."

"What kind of boldness is this? I, Old Zhang, have seen a lot of dead people and killed a lot of people. If there were ghosts in this world, how could they still be alive today? If they hadn't lost their capital in the war with the Khitans,

I’m still doing this murderous business today, haha..."

He said it easily, as if fighting was as common a business to him as selling steamed cakes on the street, wasn't it just a business? He had already made a lot of money before losing money. The house looked shabby, but the furnishings inside were

But it's not bad, and it looks familiar. Many of them are from Xu Xian's family.

I heard that he still has dozens of acres of fertile farmland outside the city. The rent alone is enough to support the whole family. He even eats meat regardless of age. The eldest daughter in the family is also married and has enough food and clothing. Unlike those refugees,

Compared to this day, it is like a day in heaven.

"You're just talking here. You didn't even pour a mouthful of tea. Jiubao, where the hell did you go? Hurry up and serve tea to the guests!"

"Du Tou, please don't keep Jiubao busy. Xiao Ke will sit down for a while and then leave. By the way, there is also a small gift for Du Tou, wait for me to get it!"

Xu Xian got up and went outside the courtyard gate to get something. He held it up to Zhang Dutou and said, "Please try it on Dutou to see if it fits. If the size is wrong, I can have someone change it."

Zhang Dutou looked at the strange-shaped wooden stick in Xu Xian's hand, "What is this?"
To be continued...